Lingering Darkness
by Fukisako
Summary: Contrary to the impossibilities against him, Cheshire is alive and finds himself in unfamiliar surroundings and a strange woman. Lost and confused he must make sense of how he had survived the battle that had left him incapacitated and what it might mean for him. Cheshire X OC.
1. Oh Lovely Day

"Sienna? You heading home?" A familiar deep voice filled the silence in the near empty crew room. Sienna turned to the voice just as she flipped her fiery red hair out from under her long dark purple jacket. Her eyes moved to the speaker and she smiled at him warmly.

"Yes, it's been a long day I'm afraid. How about you doctor Hartford?" She busied her hands to do up the buckles crossing the front of her jacket to hold it closed.

"Isn't it always? I told you to call me Ethan; you're off the clock so lose the formalities." Ethan smiled back at her. Everything about his appearance was perfectly arranged as though he had just arrived to work even though he had started a couple hours before Sienna had. Not a short blond lock of hair seemed out of place and his white coat had not a wrinkle to be seen in the fabric. His dark brown eyes however told a different story. Dark circles were beginning to become apparent under his eyes and his smile lacked any real energy behind it.

"Of course, Ethan. Are you going home soon too? At this rate you're going to run yourself into the ground and we don't have another great doctor to replace you yet." Sienna absently checked her pockets for her wallet and house keys before deeming herself ready to leave.

"Haha, yes I'll leave soon. I just want to make another round before I take off. Too bad we could use another doctor around here." He shrugged nonchalantly and pulled a small pouch out of a pocket in his coat. He held it out to her. "I was hoping I'd catch you before you left since I have your pay for the week."

"Glad to hear it. Oh, thank you." Sienna took the pouch from him and the jingle of the coins were music to her ears. She was cutting it awfully close to being broke again and with this she could restock her groceries later. "You didn't have to track me down. I was going to ask you about it tomorrow anyway." She smiled appreciatively at him.

"I wanted to. Well, not just to give you that but it's as good of an excuse as any. I was wondering if you'd join me for dinner after work sometime soon. My treat." Ethan offered while rubbing the back of his neck nervously. His tone was casual, but Sienna recognized his familiar gesture.

"W-what? I mean...that's probably not a good idea." Sienna diverted her gaze to the floor as she stumbled over her words and stuffed her hands into her pockets. This man was one she had worked with for a short time, only a month, and he was her senior by at least ten years. The invitation had blindsided her and she struggled to find a suitable response. "We're coworkers still so it would be inappropriate on if we were to have a relationship beyond that." She felt almost like she was smaller than usual as she denied his offer. The excuse of being coworkers wasn't the only reason she wanted to avoid such a situation, but it was the best she could give him. From what she knew of him he was a very good and kind man though.

His smile tightened at the edges in disappointment at her answer. "It wouldn't hurt anyone. I'd like the chance to get to know you better if you would give me the chance." He dropped his hand from his neck and slid his hands into the pockets of his white coat. The air in the small room shifted quickly from friendly and casual to tensely awkward.

"Sorry doctor. I'm not really looking for anyone right now either. I've got enough on my plate at the moment." Sienna transferred her weight from one foot to the other awkwardly before moving past the man. "Take care, Ethan. See you later." The woman smiled apologetically at him. She felt his eyes on her back as she made her way out of the building.

"Ah, Sienna wait! Do you want a ride home today? It's supposed to storm tonight so if you give me ten minutes I can take you." He offered suddenly. Sienna looked over her shoulder at him and shook her head.

"No, I'll be fine walking tonight. I think I can make it before it sets in if I get moving. I appreciate the offer though." She forced a smile his way before leaving out the door of the hospital building. A cold wind greeted her and blew her jacket back from her legs making her shiver a little. At least if she ran she'd fend off the cold.

The sky bellowed overhead in a roll of thunder. The storm wasn't far off, but she didn't live very far away. Hoping to outrun it she broke into a sprint. She was exhausted and her limbs protested to the abuse, but she was more concerned about not getting wet to let that slow her down.

Sienna ran down the block, cut across an empty street and entered a small park. It was late into the evening so her surroundings were mostly vacant of life. Looking to the sky she spotted the heavy grey clouds rolling in from the east. She didn't mind a storm, but getting caught in one didn't appealed to her. While she was distracted something caught her foot and sent her skidding into the grass.

"Shit! Ow.." She cursed as she pushed herself off the ground. She left her proper ladylike facade behind at work and now she didn't bother to hide her "unladylike" nature. Glancing around she spotted something black sticking out of a bush. It had a stark outline from the greenery around it. Once on her feet she noticed that the offending object was attached to something much bigger.

On top of the bush lay a young looking man on his back. His face was relaxed as though he were asleep, but his cheeks bore many scratches. Sienna used her foot to nudge his leg hoping to receive some sort of response. Her mind started to race with possible events that could have left someone like this in the park. The best scenario? He had been too drunk to make it home and decided that a nearby bush was as good a bed as any. Worst case? A victim of ill intent.

He remained unconscious regardless of her prodding. Another crack of thunder rolled over them and Sienna cursed again. "Hey, it's obvious you've seen better days but this storm isn't going to wait for you to pull yourself together." She tried speaking aloud to him in the hopes that it might stir him even though the physical made no difference. Reached over him she placed two fingers on his throat just below his jaw to find the artery that would at least confirm he was still alive.

There was a pulse under her touch and she released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She had seen so many people come in with all sorts of injuries, but the fear of losing a life under her watch was always in the background. Returning to a vertical position she looked down at him with her hands on her hips. If this was the best scenario she'd feel like a fool worrying so much over a strange drunk, but at the same time she'd have problems accepting it if the man was reported dead tomorrow because she had left him here.

She'd rather be a fool than a cold bystander of a victim in need of help. Leaning back over him she grabbed on of his arms and tried to pull him out. He was caught pretty well among the broken branches so it would require better maneuvering. His hand slid over her arm and a stinging sensation set in following it. Looking at her arm she noticed her jacket now had a cut in the sleeve and when she pulled it up her skin underneath was bleeding from a long scratch that matched the damage to her jacket. Confused she looked to the mans hand and pulled away with a gasp.

Blades. This was no man. Instead of fingers he had sharp blades extending from his hands. Now she was annoyed. Was she wasting her time with something that shouldn't be here anyway? Glaring at him she returned to the leaving him concept. After all her job was to tend to humans, not Chains. Creatures belonging to a hellish place called that Abyss. Most were extremely dangerous unless they have a legal contract with the right person. But this thing was here all alone. It didn't make sense, he should be seeking the closest gullible fool to con into a contract with him before he gets pulled back into the Abyss as Chains were always unstable beings when they lacked something tying them to this world.

As if he knew the track her train of thought was leading down a whimper escaped his lips. She tensed at the sound and searched his face, but he was still unconscious. His brows pulled together now as though he were in pain and his arms aside he looked very human to her. Bitterly she thought to herself how much better it was that she had the misfortune of literally stumbling across this creature. The existence of Chains were not common knowledge to the public and the Abyss was nothing but a myth to most.

Still, the struggle between her mind and her heart to decide wasn't pleasant. She still felt obligated to help him somehow; though it would probably take more than a storm to kill him, but at the same time he was still an unknown Chain. Unpredictable and undoubtedly dangerous. As she pondered her options little drops of water hit her face and hair. Cursing louder this time she threw the debate to the wind.

Tossing his arm over her shoulder she wrapped her arms around his torso and lifted him out of the bush. This time she was cautious of his hands as she pulled him free. She staggered a few steps backward and for a moment she feared she'd fall. If that happened the stinging from the cut on her arm would be the least of her injuries.

"C'mon man, at the very least I don't want to carry you. WAKE UP!" She shook him a little with his head on her shoulder. Still no response. With a noise of frustration she moved a hand to his arm and the other to his waist so she could support his weight. With his head still on her shoulder she felt something soft flicking weakly against her neck. With an intake of breath she shook her head. Right now she didn't want to know what it was. She just wanted to get home.

Just as she set out for the second time the rain intensified into a downpour. "You better have put up a damn good fight to whoever or whatever did this to you. Somehow I think it'd be a disappointment to discover I just saved a wuss that will just end up like this again soon." She mumbled aloud more to herself than her unconscious burden. The toughest obstacle would be when she arrived home and would have to somehow get the Chain up the stairs without dropping him. Oh lovely day, a long one indeed.

**Author's Note:**

Okay so, recently I watched the Pandora Hearts anime and found some inspiration to write a little something. It started out as random drabble and I just kept adding to it. I was certainly surprised to see how few Pandora fan fiction is out there for Cheshire. This disappointed me a little, so I've just continued with my own little story.

I'm going to plan this one out a little more than I have in the past in the hopes of actually completing it. I think it's off to a decent start. I will say here though that I have not read the manga for Pandora Hearts yet - it's on my to do list once school lets out - therefore it will not be based on it so I apologize for anything that doesn't quite match up. My goal here is to make a decent story to give a little more spotlight to a character I really liked and based on comments I've read, I'm not the only one wishing he had had more of it.

*Constructive criticism is very welcome here and I would really appreciate it.  
Please comment and let me know what you think.

_Pandora Hearts © Jun Mochizuki  
__Writing & Original Characters © Fukisako__  
_


	2. Disoriented

"ALYSS!" Cheshire woke with a yowl. A sense of desperation flooded through him. They were getting away and he needed to stop them. Scanning his surroundings quickly he realized he was alone. Who was it he needed to stop? His head was pounding and his short term memory was a little muddled.

"She's not here, stranger." An unfamiliar voice of a woman startled him. Instinctively he flipped onto all fours on the couch he had woke on with one forearm raised to defend himself, his tail flicking anxiously behind him. He frowned at her. A woman stood in an entry way to another room with a bowl in hand. Her free hand rested on her hip, something like a rope was under her fingers without gripping it. He narrowed his gaze on the item he wasn't familiar with. Familiar or no, he was weary of it.

The woman had long hair the color of fire pinned at the back with the front left to hang over her shoulders. She wore a dark blue sleeveless shirt bound in the front with string and a short skirt. He met her pale green gaze. She stared at him as though he was a misbehaving toddler and seemed to be waiting to correct him.

A tense silence reigned between them for a moment longer before she set the bowl down on the table near the couch. She pushed it gently toward him. Cheshire watched her intently as she drew slightly closer before backing off. His shoulders relaxed a little and he put his forearm down to look into the bowl. The tantalizing scent reached his nose before he saw the creamy white liquid. Absently he licked his lips, it smelled so good. His ears twitched, ready to alert him of any movement from the strange woman.

"Alyss. Is that the name of your contractor?" The woman's voice filled the silence and brought his eye back to hers. Her tone was oddly casual. "I've been waiting all night for you to wake up. A bit ago you were making sounds in your sleep so I heated up some milk for you. I don't know if you're thirsty but you look a lot like a cat so I figured you might enjoy some." She gestured to the bowl with her palm up and open to him as an invitation.

"No, what is this strange place? Why is Cheshire here?" He asked in bewilderment. This had never happened to him before and his lack of memory was unsettling. Cheshire looked around the room again. It was small and the furniture included a couch, table, and a chair across from where he sat. Behind the chair dark curtains covered a window behind the chair and a lamp was on a stand in the corner. Then his gaze drifted back to the milk. It was dangerously distracting.

"This is my house. I found you unconscious in a park not far from here so I was hoping you could tell me. You were pretty banged up when I found you and you wouldn't wake up. What happened to you?" She spoke in a relaxed tone and she almost sounded detached from the conversation.

"Cheshire doesn't understand. Cheshire shouldn't be here. Cheshire needs to...to..." He let the sentence drift. Where did he need to be? He wasn't sure. He didn't remember returning to this world. Maybe he should return to Alyss for now until he could remember. Though he gazed at Sienna now, his mind wandered to the point that he no longer really saw her. What he saw was his Alyss, spinning gleefully in her room surrounded by shelves of a variety of dolls. He had never tried leaving her side and likewise had never particularly wanted to. With her he felt loved and in some way, safe there. No sadistic children with scissors intending to inflict harm on him and his master. He trusted her like none other aside from his former master.

"If you relax a little it might come to you. Do you not want your drink?" The woman tilted her head to one side as she asked another question. It could be the woman wanted something from him. Why else would a human help a Chain? The thought repulsed him greatly and he regarded her with suspicion as he looked between her and the bowl. He would never betray the Intention.

"You have my word that nothing bad will happen to you while you are here unless you bring it onto yourself. I know what you are, but I have no problem with your presence until you give me reason to think otherwise." Now her voice was matter-of-fact. She walked over to the chair across from him and sat down.

Cheshire didn't feel particularly threatened here so he somewhat believed her. "Who are you?" He asked as he looked her over one more time. She was human, but she knew what he was which wasn't common knowledge of the public as far as he knew. Confident that even with her knowledge he could overtake her easily enough he relaxed into a sitting position on the couch. He reached forward and picked up the bowl between his hands.

"Sienna. Just your near-average human. I just do what I need to survive and that's included finding out about the Abyss in the past. Fortunately for you anyway." She gave a halfhearted smile as she spoke. "I brought you here because you looked like you needed some help. You looked to be in some pretty bad shape so I cleaned the scratches on your face and some bandages to your shoulders. Seems that you're recovering quickly enough though." Sienna shrugged.

Cheshire tilted the bowl back and drank back most of the bowls contents while she spoke. When she finished he lowered it to look at her again. Injuries? His body was sore, but he didn't think too much of it. He looked at each shoulder to inspect himself and each was bandaged firmly. Now he was really confused, why would she tend to him when he was so vulnerable? Apprehension filled him. "Sienna. Cheshire hasn't seen you before. Cheshire is...confused...Cheshire shouldn't be here." He tilted his head to the side inquisitively.

"I doubt you really had a choice given your condition. Where are you supposed to be if you have no contractor? If a member of Pandora had found you they wouldn't have left you there. In fact they probably would have killed you." She asked.

Cheshire stilled in mid-motion while he was bringing the bowl to his lips again. He tensed at the mention of Pandora. He hated those people. They were always bothering the Intention and they probably would rather interrogate him than kill him right away. "Cheshire would die before they got him." He said sharply. It was infuriating to think about.

The woman's expression shifted to surprise. "So you at least know the organization? Most of the time they'd sooner kill wild Chains than anything else. Most people can't even defend against your kind." Cheshire felt a sense of resentment from Sienna. It was minor, but still enough for him to catch it.

"Your kind despises us. You send humans into the Abyss without a care, simply as punishment and you expect even Chains to prefer living there?" Cheshire growled a little at her before tossing back the rest of the milk to put the bowl down. He never understood humans, but from his experience the Abyss was a cold and lonely place. No matter how he might try, the Intention was always lonely. It was much the same in his first life, but he would give anything to make her happy. That is why he didn't belong here. The Intention could be lonely right now and he's unable to comfort her where he from here.

He stood up abruptly and Sienna did the same. He was only aware of her getting to her feet because the world seemed to spin uncontrollably around him and made him stagger. It was like the floor was going to slip from under his feet. He held his head in an attempt to steady himself when something warm touched his arm and kept him from falling.

Sienna said something under her breath he didn't catch. "You aren't going anywhere until I'm convinced you can handle yourself and not end up hurting anyone. I didn't say all Chains prefer it, I don't even have one of my own to know the difference between the Abyss and our world so cool it. I don't appreciate your stereotyping me and my "kind" either." Her voice was in close proximity of him and it was a sharp tone.

Still a little dazed he slumped back down on the couch despite himself. Her hand stayed pressed to his arm. He looked at it uneasily and noticed her forearm was also bandaged. "Yes that's from you when I was trying to get you out of the bush. Cut through my nice jacket too. In all fairness you were unconscious, but I won't forgive you if you break anything in my house." She warned and removed her hand from him.

"You cannot keep Cheshire from leaving, but thank you for helping Cheshire. You have nothing to gain from it." Cheshire blinked a few times to clear his vision. His depth perception was always a little off, but right now his handicap seemed intensified. This stranger was kind enough to care for him when most would have taken advantage of his vulnerability and is persistent on ensuring he is healthy before letting him go. The situation had a certain charm to it.

"Your welcome. Don't expect it too often though. I work as a nurse so I think of it as my job to look after people that are otherwise defenceless. Besides, you're also pretty cute, cat boy. You talk a little strangely too, but at least I didn't have to ask for your name." Sienna's smile was warmer this time.

"You like cats then? I don't see anyone around." Cheshire's ears perked up. He would like to have one of his own around. Cats never plotted against you and enjoyed simple pleasures—just as he does. The freedom to talk about anything without fear of the consequences was a relief he found rarely elsewhere.

"I do, I'm just not home often enough to keep one around. I'd feel bad if he got lonely while I'm away." She sighed a little and lifted her hands palms up in a "what can you do" gesture. Cheshire tilted his head at her again.

"Yes...loneliness is a worse fate than death." he agreed. His gaze trailed away from her and he stared at the wooden table by his legs. Alyss was always so lonely, but at least she had her dolls and Cheshire around to ease her a little. It never seemed to be enough though.

"I can understand that. I've always had my family around, but being alone most of the time now is lonely enough. Things can always be worse right?" Sienna stood from her chair and clapped her hands. "I'm going to open the window, I'm tired from staying up with you and I need a little more like to stay awake." She turned to the window and pulled open the dark curtains to reveal a balcony bathed in daylight. It was sunny but the grass outside looked wet and puddles littered the street. She had mentioned a storm had been coming.

No wonder she was kind. She was very fortunate to have a caring family. "It's been...a long time since Cheshire has been in sunlight." He responded wistfully. His world had been in absolute darkness for so long until Alyss had gifted him with his left eye. Even with it however, any form of light in Alyss's dimension and within the Abyss was something artificial. Not quite like the real thing.

Cheshire moved off the couch and angled his body toward the woman. He refused to offer his back to her just yet. He felt vulnerable enough as it was and he was still a little weary about trusting the strangers word. As though she understood she moved to allow him past her so he could approach the window. He began to stagger a bit to one side again as he moved . He resented the hampering of his feline elegance, but he was without another option currently.

The wind. He wanted to feel it as much as he wanted the sunlight to warm his aching body. He reached for the handle to open it when her hand sneaked under his and caught the door first. She was now between him and the door with her body turned to him.

"Uh—uh. I was serious about if you hurt my house there'd be consequences. That includes scratching up my door." Sienna pulled it open as Cheshire stared at her. She moved out of his way and he lifted his hands to look at them. He'd never paid much attention to any damage he might have done to his house with his claws. They were simply part of him and sometimes it was harder to do certain things, but at least with them he was capable unlike in his first life.

Walking onto the balcony he heard her following behind him. Still unsteady on his feet he listed to one side and her hand assisted his balance until he reached the railing. "Thanks." Cheshire nodded to her and stared out at the scenery around him. The smells were that of a small town and the streets only had the odd person walking by. Probably due to the weather. He breathed the scents in on a deep intake of air.

Being outside in the sunlight was refreshing and helped clear his head. Absently he reached up to his throat to touch his precious bell as he tried to remember what had happened to him only to find it missing. The ribbon collar he had worn around his neck for so long which held his original masters' last few memories before her death was gone. He glanced down in surprise. He never took it off, it was too precious for that. Panic quickly overwhelmed him and he turned to Sienna abruptly.

"Cheshire's bell, where is it?! It's gone! Did you take it?" He gave Sienna an accusing glare before looking back inside to the couch he had been on earlier. The familiar red ribbon with the large gold bell was no where in sight.

"What? What are you talking about?" Sienna's eyes widened as she moved away from him and faced him straight on.

Barely hearing her he tried to recall where he may have lost it. Blinking rapidly his panic drifted back to a feeling of intense loss. Gripping the bars of the railing he slid to his knees and knocked his forehead against the cold metal. A face came to mind. One he resented greatly. A man called Break, the one from whom Alyss had taken the eye Cheshire now possessed. Now he remembered. He had tried to capture Alice, his original master, in her new form and to do so he had brought them into her realm of memories. A dimension made from the bell that he had lost. It hadn't gone as planned and he was defeated by that man with his Mad Hatter Chain. Despicable thing that Chain was. It existed only to destroy its own kind and anything related to the Abyss.

Squeezing his eye shut he yowled his loss to the wind. He had failed Alyss. Perhaps that was why he wasn't inside the Abyss—a punishment for his indiscretion. Wrapping his arms around himself he felt the need to be as small as he felt. He should have died then. How had he survived? It was bizarre that he even had the same body he had had at the time of the battle. He had thrown it away in desperation to take down the man that ruined everything.

Pain seared through his head as he banged it against the railing bars repeatedly. He had failed—severely failed. All he wanted was to protect Alice from herself. Seeking the very memories that had destroyed her once and she had cast out upon her own will. He just wanted to protect her from the agony and he had paid for it. Tears tracked down the left side of his face for he had no eye to shed such things from in the empty socket that scarred his face on the right.

Suddenly he became aware of a gentle pressure on his back moving is small circles. A hand belonging to the strange woman who had found him moved up between his shoulder blades and around his back. The caress was soothing and he lost himself in the comfort she offered. Cheshire lowered his head between his paws to hide his face, muffling his sobs the best he was able. Would the Intention forgive him? Did she even want him to return? Thinking about it just made him want to further curl into himself. He wanted to disappear from this world. He had been given a second chance at life beyond that of a simple house pet and until now his level of appreciation could not be measured. Now he was at a complete loss. He was much stronger and more dangerous than he was in his first life, but even still it hadn't been enough to protect his master.

"Shhh, it's alright...it'll be alright..." Sienna cooed in a soft whisper as he trembled under her touch uncontrollably. The despair he was feeling was overwhelming.

They remained like that for a long time. The woman made no move to leave his side and persisted with her soothing noises and caress. At first he had been greatly suspicious of the woman beside him even though she had brought him into her home in his time of vulnerability; dressing his wounds and watching over him while he had slept. It was bizarre. The only people he had ever needed was Alyss and Alice and he never imagined there could be another. Never fathomed the need for someone else. Those two girls made up his world and now he had lost them both—for the second time over the past century. His self-loathing spiked like it never had before. If he couldn't protect his beloved master and the Intention that had given him his second life, he was useless.

**Author's Note:**

I decided to post the second chapter to this because, well, what's the point of a Cheshire fanfic without enough Cheshire?

*Constructive criticism is very welcome here and I would really appreciate it.  
Please comment and let me know what you think.

_Pandora Hearts © Jun Mochizuki  
__Writing & Original Characters © Fukisako_


	3. Hell to Pay

Sienna closed her eyes as she murmured to the boy and rubbed his back. His shuddering had lessened over the passage of an hour. She wasn't sure what had set him off, but it was probably this bell he had lost. She tried to recall every detail about how she had found him in case it had fallen nearby the bush he had been in. Unfortunately, she had been preoccupied at the time so the details were pretty vague.

The look he had given her when he had accused her of stealing from him had been filled with so much malice and fury that it had actually sent a chill of fear through her. Until then she had not felt that degree of fear in a long time. He had claws but otherwise he didn't have a fearsome appearance and she was confident in her ability to defend herself if he tried to attack her. Just then she wasn't sure she could have done so. It had struck her by complete surprise and she didn't really understand where it had come from.

"Cheshire can smell your fear. Why? Why are you doing anything to help a Chain?" His voice cracked as he spoke. Lowering his arms he finally looked at her again. He frowned as he struggled to make sense of her actions.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just a sucker for punishment. You haven't tried to hurt me yet, though for a minute there I was sure you were going to, it makes little difference to me what you are if you need help. Being racist has never solved anything and I rather not burn any bridges that I don't need to." Sienna moved her hand to his mess of black hair to the area between his ears. Rubbing gently she aimed to soothe him further.

Cheshire closed his only red eye and seemed to revel in the touch. "My father was a legal contractor for most of my life. At least until he died around 8 years ago. He never had any issues with his Chain and would always tell me how Chains are just as much individual beings as we are. There are things that make us the way we are, but even if you share some experiences, the lessons you learn and how you deal with situations will always be unique to you. By the sounds of it you're pretty unique." She gave him a small smile to reassure him. "If there's anything I hate most out there, it would be arrogant people that don't bother to consider both sides of a coin so to speak. I'll probably never understand a Chain as I might another human due to our differences, but that doesn't give me the right to stereotype all Chains together."

The cat boy stared at her for a long moment before bringing a paw to his face to wipe away his tears. "You're strange." He blinked at her a couple times and took another swipe at his face.

"Well, I guess we have something in common after all. That's a form of progress, don't you think?" Sienna couldn't help but laugh at his statement. It wasn't the first time she had be deemed strange and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Coming from a Chain, however; with the appearance of a 19 year old boy with cat ears and a tail made the comment amusing.

"Maybe. Cheshire would like to go back inside now to sleep." His gaze wandered between her and the glass door. Sienna nodded and ran her hand over his soft ears one more time before standing up and offering her hand to help him up. At first he hesitated before holding out a hand, then as though he reconsidered his decision he pulled back.

"It's alright you know—to ask for help once in a while when you need it." She smiled down at him. Instead of waiting for him to debate she placed a hand under his and grabbed right before his claws started. With a decent grip she pulled him to his feet and he didn't resist. His arms were slightly disproportionate with the rest of his body. A strange black material looked to be stitched into his arms starting from the middle of each bicep; covering the rest of his arms into a bulky shape until it reached his long sharp claws. This form of 'skin' felt almost velvety to the touch.

Sienna chose to keep her hand on his wrist as she led him back into her house. Closing the door behind them he waited patiently beside her. "Is there anything else you need?" She asked gently as he returned to his spot on the couch. She felt obligated to make him comfortable. She'd never seen a Chain mentally break down before. Most were bordering on mindless, but she was learning quickly that few things about this Chain was ordinary. His one red eye stared up at her, his pain written plainly on his sweet face.

"Cheshire is a hungry, but really tired." He let himself fall onto his side on the couch like it was too much for him to continue sitting upright. She let his hand go and ran her fingers through his hair again.

"What do you eat? People aren't on the menu of course, but I might have something around here that you find edible." Sienna mused at him. She wasn't so sure she could let him go at all if he was craving human flesh and she wanted to know if that was the case or not. He mumbled something into the couch that she couldn't make sense of. "Sorry?" She prompted him to repeat himself.

He lifted his head up a little to speak. "Cheshire doesn't like humans very much. They don't taste very good. Cheshire does like fish though." Sienna muffled a chuckle behind her hand.

"Alright, happy to hear it. I might have a can of tuna left, do you care if it's canned?" She asked over her shoulder as she walked to the kitchen through the entryway into the living room. This time she heard a muffled 'no' so she continued her plan to locate a can.

This creature was odd without a doubt. He spoke in third person and he seemed totally lost. Is it even possible for a Chain to accidentally leave the Abyss? That was hard to believe considering how difficult it was supposed to be to get out. She was really curious about this anomaly, but at the same time it shouldn't really be her concern. Her job as a decent person would be done by the following day and her solitary life would return to normal.

Just as she set the plate of tuna in front of Cheshire the doorbell rang out. He jumped a little and she put her hand between his ears again and gave his head a quick rub. "I'll be right back." She nodded at him and went to answer the door.

"Good morning Nia~ You are home after all." Sienna was greeted by her brother when she opened the door.

"Corwin! When did you get back?" she asked in welcome surprise. She stared up into familiar green eyes. She found it easy to forget just how much taller than her he had become, but he'd always be her baby brother no matter how much he'd grown.

"Not long," He wrapped his arms around her in a big hug "I'm getting sent out again soon so I wanted to drop in before then." Sienna returned his embrace happily before reaching up and messing up his dirty blonde hair with her hand like she'd done since they were young, earning a chuckle from him.

"Good because I missed you. Come in and I'll fix you some tea. I'm curious to hear about your latest venture." Sienna pulled away from him, but took his hand in hers to pull him into her home.

In the living room she was instantly reminded of her charge. All that was visible of the Chain was his swishing white tipped tail over the back of the couch. "Cheshire, I have some company now. If you still want to sleep you can hide out in my room for now." She offered. She let go of her brother's hand and leaned over the couch to look down at the feline boy.

Ears flicking his head turned toward her, one striking red eye staring up at her. "Just no disappearing on me alright? If you don't want to you can stay out hear, but I doubt you'd want to." Sienna reached down to run a hand through his hair again and messed with his already messy black hair. His ears pulled back as she reached for him in his uncertainty, but then they righted themselves once her hand was on his head.

"Ah, you've already got a visitor Nia? Well this is unusual." Corwin mused and came up behind her to lean on her shoulders to see who she was talking to.

"Heh, oh really? Well—" She interrupted herself to toss her head back and bunt her brothers forehead. Mild pain flared at the back of her head, but as her brother yelped in surprise and stumbled back she decided it was worth it. "I suppose you'll just have to get used to it, brother mine." She smirked at him playfully.

"Son of a—Nia was that really necessary?" He proceeded to rub the space between his eyes which were started to water. "A lady isn't supposed to be so violent." He tsked playfully back.

She turned back to him with her hands on her hips. "Give me a reason to be ladylike and I'll think about it, but as it stands I'm perfectly happy this way. It's saved you a few times if I recall correctly." Sienna shot back defiantly. Her brother had always been a wimp when they were young so she'd had to take up the role as the protective older sibling even though they were twins.

Sienna heard Cheshire shift position on the couch. She assumed it was to see what was going on. She didn't look back at him but saw a change in her brother's expression from a mix of pain and playfulness to serious surprise. His brows pulled together and was staring hard at Cheshire.

Before she had the chance to ask what was wrong her brother's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. He pulled her roughly to his side and drew his gun to point it at Cheshire. "What—Sienna do you know what that is?"

"What—what is?" The abrupt change in position and atmosphere dazed her a little and it took a moment for her to recover. Unfortunately in the time it took her to recover, Cheshire jumped to the floor beside the couch and her brother swung his gun to aim at him again. Without time to think she formed a fist with her left hand which was closer to her brother and swung it up and hit his wrist to knock his gun away. It hit the floor with a loud clatter and seeing his chance the Chain made a break for the door. As he tried to brush past her she flung herself onto his back and they both hit the floor roughly.

"Sienna! What are you-" "Shut it, Corwin! Do not come into my home and start waving your gun around or I'll hit you with it next time!" She scolded him with a harsh glare. Cheshire moved his arms under him to push her off when she wrapped an arm around his neck, but didn't close it around him. She grabbed his hair in her hand and brought an ear closer to her. "You too. I told you that you're not going anywhere until I say so. He's not going to do anything under my roof, but you both have some explaining to do, cat. Now just make my job easier and work with me here." There was a low growl in response, but she was distracted and didn't catch what he said. Sienna let go of his hair and used her free hand to push herself off of his back. Moving her arm around his neck to around his torso she pulled them both to their feet, thankfully there was no fight from Cheshire and it was probably more his willingness to stand that let her move him at all.

Corwin stared at her wide-eyed. "You just threw yourself on a Chain! Do you realize what he could have done to you?" His voice was getting louder with each word. Sienna met his green gaze with her own and pressed herself closer to Cheshire's back. His ears were pulled back and his tail was flicking angrily.

"Cheshire—" "Actually I do. I haven't totally lost it yet you know. He's mine, therefore you just threatened me by threatening him." She mentally cringed at the lie, but she schooled her face to show nothing but defiance. She had never thought her brother would be so disrespectful to do such a thing, but at the same time she wouldn't hesitate to defend him either. She was supposed to be the reckless one, dammit. "I know full well that he's capable of hurting me and as true as that is I don't want him to hurt you, brother mine." She didn't want Cheshire to say anything to agitate her brother so she tightened her grip on his chest in warning. "Don't say a word unless I tell you to. Damage control, sweetheart." She whispered under her breath to ensure her brother wouldn't catch her words. She couldn't be sure the Chain heard her either but she was hoping his large ears were for more than just show.

His body stayed rigid with tension, but the movement of his tail slowed a little. Sienna relaxed her arm and sighed in moderate relief. "Now boys, let's all be mature and get along yes? If not there will be hell to pay, I promise you." She vowed and bounced her narrowed gaze between them.

**Author's Note:**

I don't really have much to say here this time. I think if someone would like to help bounce around ideas that would be wonderful. My aim is to stay true to the canon characters that end up part of the story so if you think he or anyone else seems to be falling out of character please let me know! Unfortunately that can be pretty difficult without assistance, but if it's pointed out when it happens at least I can go back and fix it. Thanks for reading~

*Constructive criticism is very welcome here and I would really appreciate it.  
Please comment and let me know what you think.

_Pandora Hearts © Jun Mochizuki  
__Writing & Original Characters © Fukisako_


	4. Displaced

A moment of uneasy silence passed until the tension left her brother's shoulders. He picked up his gun and as he did so, Cheshire's body tightened and he tried to move into a crouch, but Sienna held him upright and felt her shake her head. Her brother turned back to them and he pocketed his gun. "I'm sorry, Nia. You're right, that was out of line." He spoke apologetically and nodded at them.

"It's alright. Just let me explain before you pull that thing out." She relaxed a little and moved her arm from Cheshire's chest to around his arm. A scent of fear mingled in the air around her now as she clung to him. She had mentioned before that she had family, but now both of them were aggressive toward Cheshire.

He had heard their greeting at the door and he had resented their affectionate exchange. She'd said she had missed this person and it was obvious she cared for him. This is what had kept Cheshire from attacking when the gun was drawn, but he hadn't been in the right frame of mind to teleport out either. He didn't like this situation at all.

Cheshire watched her brother closely as he approached. If the man tried anything else he'd have no choice but to remove Sienna's grip on him and defend himself. Just as the thought crossed his mind her grip on his arm shifted to her other one and there was a hesitant touch on his back. He didn't feel the need to flinch away and let her. As if encouraged her palm flattened against his back and she started to run her hand in small circles over him. It was similar to when she had comforted him earlier, but this time he didn't think he was the one that needed the comfort. Her fear wasn't very strong but it was enough to sting his nose and he didn't like it.

"Of course. Cheshire, right? I hope you can forgive my actions. It was uncalled for and I'm sorry." Her brother bowed his head a little at them. Cheshire stared at him hard for a moment. There was something he didn't like about this person, even before the gun had been drawn. The feeling didn't lessen with the situation dissolved.

"You seem important to Sienna so Cheshire won't hurt you unless he has to." Cheshire felt the woman's grip tighten on his arm and her hand on his back stilled as he spoke, but soon she relaxed.

"Thank you boys. Now, how about that tea? Cheshire, my room is down the hall and the door on the right if you want." She let go of his arm and went to her brother.

Cheshire watched her leave the room into what he assumed now was the kitchen. He didn't feel as tired as he had earlier and the excitement had cleared the fog in his mind. He still felt a little unsteady though, but the idea that this man could have the advantage if Cheshire were to rest unsettled him.

"Cheshire will stay." His gaze didn't leave her brother for an instant, but her brother gave him his back as he moved to sit in the chair. So trusting, he would have been a perfect target for Cheshire. Thinking for a minute he wasn't sure why the man wasn't more cautious, but then Sienna's claim over him jumped out at him. They had no contract, but if they had he would have to listen to her therefore the man should be safe to let his guard down. He wanted to ask her why she had lied, but as he moved toward the kitchen the man's voice sounded behind him.

"Wait Cheshire, I want to ask you about some things. Please, sit." The man stopped him and when Cheshire looked at him he had his hand held out in invitation toward the couch. Questions? Cheshire didn't want to answer anymore questions, he wanted some answers of his own.

Sienna's head appeared around the corner and she smiled at them. "Now Corwin, no interrogation either." Her voice carried a note of warning and then she disappeared around the corner again.

"I'm just curious, no harm meant." Corwin nodded at Cheshire. Cheshire forced himself to sit on the couch and face the man.

"I suppose I'll start by asking why you would seek a contract. I work for Pandora and I've heard about you. You're unique and powerful and a contract isn't necessary like it is for others." Corwin leaned back into the chair as he spoke.

Cheshire's hands curled into fists at the mention of that organization. A clatter from the kitchen startled him. "Are you alright, Nia?" The man looked toward the kitchen as he asked the question. A moment later Sienna appeared with a tray in her hands with an smile on her face.

"Yes, I'm fine. It was a result of circumstance." She replied to his question hastily. She set the tray of tea on the table and cast a glance at Cheshire as she poured a cup. Was she really going to stick to such a foolish lie? He had no reason to want a contract with anyone as it'd only keep him from Alyss more than anything else. He already had a master and he had no interest in finding another.

She turned and handed the cup to her brother before moving to the couch to sit beside Cheshire. He didn't understand anything about this woman. There had to be something she wanted to be doing all that she had for him already. "It was pretty recent actually, but we figured we could help each other out. That's between us though and I'd rather keep it that way." Sienna looked at Cheshire and he nodded.

"Cheshire's reasons are his own." He put in curtly. His tail flicked now in irritation. Pandora was always so pushy with their questions about the Intention and he never really knew the why behind that either. In fact he didn't really care. They wanted her for their own ends and that was enough reason to deny them any information he holds. The people that had entered his dimension without being part of his plan for Alice had tried many times to find out more from him, but he avoided it then and he had every intention of avoiding it now. The past was a painful thing and he didn't wish to remind either of them of their loss or the freedom they have lacked.

"Alright fine, just one other question. You were reported killed by Xarxes Break and his Chain. How is it that you're here now? You must be seriously lucky or stronger than we gave you credit for." Corwin conceded.

Cheshire felt Sienna's eyes on him now too. He met her curious gaze reluctantly. She hadn't asked questions quite like these, so she was as clueless as her brother. Now he just felt put on the spot with them both staring at him expectantly. He knew they would be disappointed with his answer so he did so honestly.

"Cheshire doesn't know. Cheshire shouldn't have survived and barely did." He looked away from Sienna. He definitely couldn't stay here much longer or she would have more questions for him than he would be willing to answer.

"No wonder you were out when I found you. So, how's work been treating you brother?" She changed the subject and looked back to the man. Cheshire fidgeted uncomfortably as they talked and didn't pay much attention to the exchange. The aggressive air was gone now and the humans were relaxed.

Cheshire stood up abruptly. He felt so out of place here and he envied this intimate bond they shared. "What's wrong, Cheshire?" Sienna looked up at him and he returned her gaze. He stared at her for a moment before looking away.

"Nothing. Cheshire doesn't want to sit anymore." He moved away from them to stand off to the side. Their conversing resumed as though his presence was quickly forgotten. He resented all of it. They seemed...happy. He would give anything to make Alyss happy again and he didn't doubt that in her happiness he would find his own. Unfortunately the only person that was able to make her happy no longer existed in this world.

Wanting to distance himself from the siblings, he made his way over to the kitchen. He still hadn't seen it yet and the building was quite small so there wasn't many places to go. The area was compact, but it wasn't uncomfortably so. It was still unfamiliar to him though, his dimension and the Abyss were very spacious. Here he could probably stretch out each arm to their fullest extent to span the width of the kitchen.

His mind wandered aimlessly until his gaze landed on one end of his scarf and the large bell attached to it. It was very similar to the one he had had around his neck. He brought a hand to his throat; wishing by some miracle it was no longer gone. Unfortunately no matter how much he hated it, the fact was that his precious item was gone and that vile human called Break had it now. He could remember the man's face clearly as he had stared down at Cheshire with the bell in his hand. It was all coming back to him except what had happened after his last ditch effort to take it back.

"Hey, Cheshire, are you here with us?" The man's voice reached his ears. The man filled the frame of the entryway.

"Of course." Cheshire turned to face him and dropped his arm. He looked at the man with a bored expression. The sooner all of this was over, the better.

"Good, I have a favor to ask of you. C'mere," Corwin closed the distance between them and Cheshire considered backing away. He didn't want the man to come any closer, but given that he had a gun the distance wouldn't make a difference if he really meant him any harm. He cringed as the man slid an arm over his shoulders and spoke closer to him.

"Now, I know with a contract you are obligated to protect her, but I want to hear it from you. Will you protect my sister while I'm not around? I agreed with her not to report you to Pandora for now, but with you around she's already likely to be a target. She get's into enough trouble as it is." The man asked in a low tone so Cheshire was the only one that could hear him. Protect her? He already had a role as a guardian...at least he did until recently. The pain of his loss stung again at yet another reminder. It was likely to haunt him forever more.

"Cheshire owes her, so for now he will." He agreed reluctantly. Few Chains would dare to attack him so he believed the assumption was misplaced, but he didn't correct him.

"That's good to hear. Who knows, you might get stuck protecting her from herself too. She's...reckless to put it lightly." He sighed and let go of Cheshire. From herself...that sounded familiar. He had failed to do that for Alice. He wondered if that Break person was cruel enough to give her the bell filled with her worst memories. It had torn her apart before and likely would again.

"Why? Why would she do something that would hurt her so much that she needs to be protected?" Cheshire asked quietly. The answer might have a double meaning for him. Maybe this Sienna was similar to his Alice.

"You'll see what I mean. You know...I didn't really believe many of the rumors about you, but I don't think they do you any justice. Maybe. It surprised me to know my Nia took on a Chain. She had a chance to make a contract with one before, but she refused." Corwin nodded at Cheshire as his green gaze scanned over him. "Maybe she see's something different about you that I don't." He shrugged nonchalantly.

It was strange talking like this about something that isn't remotely true. They had no obligation to each other at all and after today they were unlikely to run into one another again.

"Cheshire has never talked much to members of Pandora so Cheshire doesn't know about the rumors." He nodded at the man who seemed to be waiting for a response. Seeing something he doesn't? Cheshire didn't understand the woman, but there had to be something that motivated her to help him. He wasn't sure he could believe she cared for him just out of the goodness of her heart, but so far she had proven to be kind...

"Oh, Cheshire~" Sienna said in a sing song-like voice. Her brother had just left and Cheshire was moving back to his place on the couch when she spoke to him.

Turning to look at her he was surprised to see her expression. Her eyes were narrowed and she had a small smile that made her look devious. Suddenly he felt the need to run from her.

Deciding to act on it he jumped away from the couch and reached for the screen door. Suddenly he felt something wrap around his left ankle and yanked him back out of reach of the door. He yelped in surprise as he hit the floor.

He could feel the impression of a foot on his lower back before he could recover. "Now where do you think you're going? You still have some healing to do so you're still my patient. I already told you, you aren't going anywhere without my say so." Her voice sounded malicious to Cheshire. Moving his hands to the floor on either side of his torso; intending to shove her off. Following his movement he felt something catch his hair in a firm grip but it didn't pull. "I had to lie to my brother for you and I don't make a habit of it without good reason. You better be a good reason, my feline friend!"

**Author's Note:**

First of all, thank you very much for your comments so far! I'm very happy that it's been going the way I had hoped and I'll try to keep it up ^^.

Who doesn't enjoy being a little dramatic sometimes? Adds a little entertainment to otherwise plain situations does it not? It's really been too long since I took the initiative to actually write something outside of random snippets for an original story I've been working on here and there. It's a shame how hard it can be to work in the time and to get the aspiration to accomplish something; yet it's so easy it is to fall into a rut _(or in the way of writing-writers block). _Anyway I'll stop babbling. I hope you enjoy the story~

*Constructive criticism is very welcome here and I would really appreciate it.  
Please comment and let me know what you think.

_Pandora Hearts © Jun Mochizuki  
__Writing & Original Characters © Fukisako_


	5. Beloved

"Why? Why didn't you just let Cheshire leave?" Cheshire hissed at her.

Sienna looked down at the Chain's claws, he was definitely capable of more than this. With a sigh she moved her foot off his back and let go of his hair. She dropped roughly onto the floor beside him. This entire ordeal was tiring.

"I said you were safe here didn't I? I know my brother and we agree on most things, but he would have been pissed to know I was housing a wild Chain. I try to keep my word and he was going to break it for me. Besides, I didn't technically flat out lie to him, I just said you were mine. He took it from there, I just let him believe whatever he came up with on his own." She paused and stared down at the whip in her hands. She pushed her contemplation of the consequences to the back of her mind to deal with the situation at hand. "Even still, it's a mess to clean up now. I didn't know you don't need a contract to be here so eventually there'll be questions which will lead to lies." She felt a sense of foreboding at the concept. The Chain shot her an irritated look before moving off his stomach to sit.

Sienna watched him and noticed him wince. She felt a jolt of guilt for jarring him like that, but the repercussions hadn't crossed her mind until it was too late. "I don't like doing that though. Are you alright?" She said apologetically. She was concerned she might have made his shoulders worse, but at least he didn't have any open wounds to be aggravated.

"Yeah. Cheshire doesn't belong to you though." He replied curtly.

"At the moment you're my charge and I'm going to make sure you heal well. So you are for now." She was a little annoyed with his tone. Ungrateful patients were always the most irritating to deal with. She shifted around to kneel beside his legs and started to unwrap the length of her whip she had used to pull him from the door. He pulled his leg away from her touch and she felt his piercing gaze watching her closely. 'Patience...patience...' she repeated in her mind as she took a deep breath to steady herself. Sienna felt uncomfortable under that cold stare that scrutinized her. "You really detest me so much that what I said bothered you?" She tried again to unwrap her weapon from his ankle, this time he didn't move but she was conscious of the sharp claws by her leg.

"Of course; only one person can claim Cheshire." He sounded wistful this time. Sienna's fingers stilled at his comment and she struggled with the sudden urge to give him a hard swat over the ears. Ungrateful bastard. Biting her tongue she busied her fingers again with the rope.

"I see. I take it sharing is a foreign concept in the Abyss?" She mused at him, her bitterness catching the undertone of her voice. She kept her eyes on her fingers as she finished removing her weapon from him. He pulled his leg closer to him and started to rub the area where she had caught him. She didn't doubt it was sore, but this was her basic whip so beyond that no damage would have been done. "Here, let me see." Sienna offered, meeting his gaze. Dealing with him when he was unconscious hadn't been nearly as much of a strain on her nerves as it was now. She supposed he had every right to be weary of her as she did him, but at least she was making a conscious effort to be polite and civilized.

"Survival is all that matters there." He studied her a moment before re-extending his leg out. She gave him a small smile as she gently moved his foot to her lap. Applying her more professional etiquette she moved the black fabric of his pants leg up so she could see the affected area. It was a little red, but otherwise alright. With care she ran her fingers over the area and rubbed around it. A cool compress would be the most suitable to make sure it wouldn't swell and become more painful later.

"I'll get a cold towel for this and it'll be back to normal in no time, especially for you. It could be worse, I'm glad I didn't make you twist it." She met his gaze as she spoke and moved his foot from her lap. "If you take you're shoe off you can prop it up on the coffee table for now. Heh, that's funny; I've always thought having people you care for was part of survival. It is for me anyway." Rising to her feet she picked up her whip from the floor and wound it in a loose circle before returning it to her hip. She headed for the kitchen with her feet feeling like lead.

"Cheshire does have someone. Cheshire will do anything for her." His voice carried behind her.

Shrugging she raised her voice enough for it to carry back to him. "Alyss is it? She seems really special to you. At least that's something. She must be worried." She pulled out a towel from a drawer and ran cold water over it. Ringing it out lightly she returned to the living room. Sienna was curious how it was that this Chain was so different from what she had heard about them, but then again only fools followed stereotypes.

"She's everything to Cheshire." He confirmed. He had done as she said and was now sitting on the couch with his foot on the table. She made a mental note to wash it later.

"That's sweet. Never thought I'd see a Chain in love, but that's good. You should get back to her as soon as you're ready then." Sienna wrapped the towel around the sore area. In the silence that followed her words her mind quickly wandered to what she would have to accomplish on her last day off for the week, tomorrow. She spoke as the thought occurred to her, "As payment for my generosity, I'd like you to come to the market with me. I've got some shopping to do and I could use the extra hands." She smiled innocently at him before sitting on the arm of the small couch, farthest from where Cheshire sat to give him space. She wasn't sure what kind of response to expect, but really she didn't have much left for supplies and a shortened trip would be nice.

Cheshire was blinking at her in surprise. "Alyss...is Cheshire's beloved." He nodded but now he stared at the floor. His face was unreadable, but she decided not to ask further. "Cheshire...will come." She wanted to learn more about this strange...person in her living room and presently under her care, but it seemed he curled into himself whenever she asked a question. Even if he wasn't like that though; he had someone to return to and in the grand scheme of things their lives are only intertwined for this moment in time. He will be gone tomorrow and she wished him and those dear to him the best. He needed her significantly less than an average Chain would so it stopped short. That was probably a good thing. Her adrenaline faded and her eyes started to feel heavy, a reminder of her serious lack of sleep.

"Well, I don't know if you still are but I'm really tired. I'm going to sleep so let me know if you need anything. I don't have much but if you're coming with me tomorrow you can help yourself to my kitchen; just don't break anything." As though to accentuate her words she felt the need to yawn and hid it behind her hand. It was still a little early in the evening, but she hadn't slept at all in the last twenty-four hours and it was time to make up for it. "If you manage it, sweet dreams my feline friend." She stood from the couch and wondered if he would take offence to that too.

"Thank you, Sienna." Cheshire said quietly. Surprised by his response she blinked at him blankly. He continued to face the floor and moved his hands together between his legs, slightly hunched into himself. Apparently her earlier observation was accurate enough.

"You're welcome." She smiled to herself as she headed for her bedroom. Maybe he wasn't nearly as ungrateful as she thought.

_- Following morning -_

Sienna slept well throughout the remainder of the evening and most of the night; only getting up for a drink and a trip to the bathroom. She went undisturbed by her guest and the one time she checked on him he had also been asleep curled up in a ball with a tense expression on his face. So much for sweet dreams.

Presently the duo made their way to the marketplace with a sheet of silence that blanketed them for most of their walk. Sienna's mind raced with the events of the previous day, particularly the goings on with her brother. He believed that the Chain beside walking by her side with the feline-like appearance was under a contract with her. She dreaded having to explain to him the reason behind Cheshire's inevitable disappearance.

As she mulled it over in her mind she glanced over at the Chain. His single eye was downcast and the only sign that he hadn't tuned out the entire world around him is the consistent flicking of his ears under the hood of the black cloak she had given him. It wasn't a perfect disguise by any means, but it was enough to downplay his unusual appearance. It seemed they each had something bothering them.

She couldn't imagine what his problem could be. After their trip shopping he would be free to leave as he so pleases, meanwhile Sienna will be left to clean of the aftermath of a misunderstanding, bordering a lie, that had been anything but well thought out. She resented the fact that she hadn't thought of something else to say to deter her twin's aggression toward Cheshire, but even now she couldn't come up with a valid excuse. It was worse that she hadn't known he didn't require a contract to reside here; however the truth would have simply made her out to be an idiot and Cheshire probably would have at least been shot at if not hurt during the confrontation. She had intended to help him, not make his condition at the time worse.

"Cheshire?" She asked softly to get his attention. Without missing a beat he turned his head slightly toward her and swung that piercing gaze to her. She thought he had slept through the night, but he looked tired. "I meant to ask earlier, but how're you feeling?" Sienna tilted her head inquisitively. He didn't seem to be limping and seemed to be capable of maintaining his balance.

"Cheshire will be fine." He responded shortly. He looked back to the ground at his feet as they walked.

In her mind's eye, Sienna saw a barbed cage encircling the Chain. He seemed both protected and trapped by the barriers he had up, threatening to rip into anyone attempting to intrude upon it. "I'm glad. Just think, you're almost rid of me and you can return home soon." She forced a smile and wrapped a hand around his forearm. "So for now you should wind down a little. Being uptight doesn't suit you." She pulled on his arm gently forward as she quickened her pace.

She felt a line of tension tighten in his arm at her touch. She took an extra few steps ahead of him and spun to face him, continuing her pace walking backward. "You shouldn't need a reason to enjoy yourself a little after a near-death experience so that should be incentive enough to enjoy the little things more." She reached over with her other hand and caught his free arm in it as well.

He stopped walking and she almost lost her balance from the abruptness of it. Cheshire's eye stared at her, but she couldn't guess at the meaning behind that sharp red gaze. "Well? How about it? You're alive so live a little will you? Don't ask why, just do it." She insisted and gave his arms a firm tug.

"Alive. Yes, Cheshire is alive." He agreed and tilted his head at her. She noticed the barest of curves to his lips. Seeing this hers widened and became genuine. She dropped his left hand and turned to look in the direction they were heading.

"Let's have some fun then." She took off in a sprint, pulling him behind her. He made a 'nya?!' sound behind her before he got his bearings and moved to run beside her. A surge of added confidence quickened her pace and he matched it.

They arrived at the marketplace in a fraction of the time it normally would have taken. When they stopped Sienna struggled to catch her breath. Looking over at Cheshire he looked unfazed by the exertion and actually looked amused.

She gave him a playful glare and moved her hand from his arm to around his neck over his cape. "Yeah, okay sly one. I don't run like that very often." Sienna laughed at her own expense.

"Cheshire could run much farther." He said smugly.

"Yeah, yeah. Just have to rub it in don't you?" She smirked. She moved her hand to the top of his head and rustled the fabric hiding his ears like she was messing with his dark hair. She enjoyed doing that perhaps a little too much. An old habit that had always been directed at her brother, but with him not around as much it was nice to have another cute person to do it to.

Their time in the marketplace flew by. Sienna gathered as much on her grocery list as she could and with Cheshire's help it was a lot more for one trip than she could have alone. He seemed to enjoy perusing the stands and was often distracted by the smell of food causing Sienna to have to keep close tabs on him. He had insisted that it wasn't the first time he had been to a marketplace, but she doubted that meant he was above stealing the food he really wanted.

"I think we can call it a well spent trip! Thanks again Cheshire." Sienna spoke over her shoulder to her shopping companion as she set her two paper bags of groceries against the edge of a building. They were at the edge of the shopping district so the congestion of people thinned. "I think I wanna take a break before we take everything to my house. Then you can be on your merry way." She gave a satisfied sigh and leaned her back against the wall. Cheshire set his burden down alongside hers, but remained balancing on the balls of his feet.

"Cheshire is hungry. The food here smells so good." His voice was almost a whine as he stared at the bags. Sienna smirked and fished some of the money she had left out of her pocket. She leaned down and held it in front of his face for him to see.

"Stop sulking. This stuff is for the near future, but not right now. Go and buy something you want to eat. Do me a favor and make that two of whatever you decide to get since I'm hungry too." She dropped the money into the hand he brought up to hers to take her offering, but the sight of his claws gave her pause. He said he'd done this before, but how many people would be scared off at the sight of those vicious looking things?

"Cheshire is not sulking!" He argued indignantly as he stood up. Without waiting for her to say anything further he spun on his heel walked back into the marketplace at a brisk pace.

Sienna pushed away from the wall and watched him go. If he was telling the truth, he must have some way to make himself stick out less. She hadn't thought to ask when she had just given him the robe to wear for basic concealment. Either way she wanted to keep him in her sights to make sure he didn't stir up trouble with a merchant. He was a decently tall individual so the feat wasn't very difficult fortunately.

Her mind wandered to what she would be doing after she returned home. He would be gone and aside from putting away what she'd bought, nothing aside from returning to the clinic for an evening shift awaited her. Her conversation with her coworker "Ethan" from her last shift made her indifference about showing up for another day of work sour a bit. If she was lucky things won't be awkward working together again so soon, even luckier would be that he would have the night off.

A rough hand closed around her mouth and an arm snaked around her ribs. Air left her lungs with the pressure of being jerked back down the narrow alley separating the buildings.

**Author's Note**

Apologies for the delay readers! My summer has been off to a fairly busy start, but no worries. I'm catching up with my writing so I hope you enjoy the installments. I think I'll start reading the manga of Pandora Hearts soon. I'm just hesitating because I'm basing this on what was revealed in the anime and with the promise of a few familiar characters stepping in soon I'm torn as to if it would be a good thing to read it first or not. My guess is the latter, but I guess we'll see soon enough. Thank you for reading!

*Constructive criticism is very welcome here and I would really appreciate it.  
Please comment and let me know what you think.

_Pandora Hearts © Jun Mochizuki  
__Writing & Original Characters © Fukisako_


	6. Gamble

"Keh, Cheshire does not sulk." Cheshire muttered to himself as he made his way back to where he had left the human. Though he was annoyed at her words he couldn't tamp down on the happy feeling that came with eating such yummy food. He pulled a chicken leg out of the box he had bought from one of the stands and put the meatiest part into his mouth to eat along the way. He savored the distinct flavor, it'd be hard to say when the next time would be that he would get to eat something so delicious again.

His eyes wandered to the area that he had left the human woman. Cheshire walked over to the side of the building and tilted his head to the right in puzzlement. He didn't spot Sienna and yet the bags of supplies that they had gathered earlier remained propped up against the wall. Odd. He hadn't known the woman long of course but this just seemed off. Ditching him in the marketplace was one thing, but leaving her things behind didn't make any sense.

Cheshire glanced around in disbelief. Suddenly a dull thud and a piercing cry ripped through the air. He turned instantly in the direction the sound had come from. It wasn't far off at all. He dropped his box of food on top of one of the bags and leaped atop the nearest building. Taking a step toward the source of the yell he paused. It really didn't matter what the woman had gotten herself into, but at the very least she had done him by a favor by taking him in while he was defenseless. His hesitation lasted only a heartbeat before he took off in a sprint.

As he closed in, further sounds of struggle and more yelling reached his ears. The wind hitting his face as he moved pushed his hood down and the noises reached his ears even clearer. Skidding to a stop a couple buildings back he gazed down into the closest alley. A familiar form entered his sights and he jumped down several feet away from the scuffle. He may be willing to help, but he would never actually put himself into harms way for her sake.

He blinked several times blankly at the scene before him. The scent of fresh blood filled the air. Sienna stood shrouded in darkness with a foot forcing someones face into the ground and the rope she had used on him the other day pulled taught in her right hand. Following the rope a large form struggled frantically at it. The two people at her mercy appeared to be large human males.

His eyes widened as her head of long red hair whipped around and sharp green eyes glared daggers at him through the darkness. A jolt of surprise ran through him when her vicious gaze met his. Something flickered through that cold gaze before they softened slightly. The men struggled at her mercy, but both seemed either breathless or struggling for oxygen.

"Cheshire? Welcome back?" Her voice carried over to him sounding almost nonchalant. She gave a sharp jerk on the rope in her hands and ground her foot into the face of the individual under it.

"Ah- Looks like you've got things under control." He gave his head a brisk shake as if to cast off his startled state. This woman... Hardly looked human for an instant and that unsettled him a bit. In an attempt to cover up his reaction he forced a smirk at her. "Cheshire thought you were in some kind of trouble only to discover you doling out punishment."

"Yep, I'm fine thanks. Just some garbage to deal with. Hopefully the trash in question will have learned their lesson for trying to take advantage of some random sweet girl on the street." She paused as if waiting for something. "Right?" Her voice was threatening, phrasing her demand as a question.

Whining noises and grunting came from the two men in response. "I can't hear you." Sienna moved her foot to the ground and slackened her grip on her rope as she lowered herself to balance on the balls of her feet. Cheshire bit down the the now naked chicken leg between his teeth giving off a loud snap. As if that added to their fear the two men struggled again.

"Y-Yes! Not...again..." The one near her foot rasped and the second choked out an agreement.

"Well alright then, glad we see eye to eye boys. Don't let me catch you again or you won't get off so easy next time." Her voice was low and filled with venom. In a swift movement she somehow snapped her rope from around the one man's neck and it landed quietly beside her like a loyal snake being called back to it's master.

The smell of their fear stung Cheshire's nose, but he took a few strides over to her just enough to maintain a couple feet of distance. These men were nothing but stupid humans terrified of a situation that just backfired on them. They were pathetic and it made Cheshire bristle at them. Humans were vicious and cruel beings that found joy in the pain of others including those of their own race. He seethed with resentment as painful memories threatened to crash back over him.

The two men got up on unsteady feet and took off, gaits uneven and one used the wall for support as he hastened away. Sienna didn't rise. She watched them go in silence. Cheshire spit out the bits of the bone from his food as he watched the woman closely. He had thought she had an intimidating presence before when her brother visited- but this was on a whole new level. If looks could kill he wouldn't have doubted that one she'd shot his way earlier would have done him in instantly.

Once the men were out of both sight and their footsteps faded into silence she sighed and stood up. "Idiots. People like that are unbelievable." Exasperation was clear in her voice. She turned to Cheshire, but this time her face consisted of the softness he recognized. He couldn't get rid of this uneasy feeling though and probably never would. If she could be even remotely similar to that maddened child he feared with his entire being he'd never be able to see her in any other light. It was positively unsettling.

"Cheshire bought some chicken. It's probably cold now though." Now it was Cheshire's turn to sigh in slight annoyance. It wouldn't be nearly as good cold, but he'd eat it anyway.

"Sorry Cheshire. I suppose today was going a little too well after all." She turned to him as she spoke and another bout of surprise struck him. From the back she'd seemed normal and when she'd looked at him he hadn't noticed anything else but her eyes. That certainly wasn't the case now. Her clothing appeared to be in disarray and the front of her shirt was torn. A dark red line ran horizontally from the center of her throat to the right only a couple inches above her collarbone. Blood trickled in tiny rivers down her neck into her shirt.

He had assumed the scent of blood was from her supposed assailants, but apparently she hadn't gone unscathed. She covered the wound with her hand. "Ah! If you're here... The groceries!" She suddenly gaped at him. In the same beat she took off. Cheshire tsk'd at how quickly she took off, apparently more worried about her groceries than her wound. That seemed a lot more likely to him than for her to leave her things behind. He mused at this before catching up to her with ease.

"Cheshire is faster." He mused at her and picked her up mid stride into his arms with one arm under her legs and the other supporting her back. She yelped in surprise but her arms instantly flew around his neck.

"Cheshire! Warning would be nice!" She whined loudly into his chest with her head pressed against his shoulder. This Sienna he liked. Comforted by this he bounded powerfully between the walls of the alley to get on the rooftop and traveled back the way he'd come. Sienna made a few more sounds of protest and when they stopped he had to look down to see what changed. She faced away from him and stared out in front of them in awe. Not understanding what fascinated her he passed it off without another thought.

They returned to the spot her things had been left only to discover than one of the bags had disappeared. After much cursing from Sienna they picked up what remained and made their way back to her home. Cheshire was happy that the bag that had been taken wasn't the one that had carried his food. During her fit of frustration she had ripped some of the cloth from her shirt that had hung loose from her previous situation and tied it around her neck over her wound. The metallic scent of her blood made his nose tingle a bit but he easily counteracted that with eating more of the chicken.

Back in her small home Cheshire put his bag down on the counter in the kitchen where Sienna had placed hers. He entered the living room only to find it empty. "Sienna?" He asked aloud.

"In here Cheshire." She called back. He followed her voice to find her in the bathroom leaning over the sink wiping at her wound while staring at her reflection in the small mirror there. She sucked in a breath as she worked.

"Is it deep?" He asked while casually trying to catch a glance of it as she worked.

"No. The jerk didn't do it intentionally so I guess I got lucky." She cursed under her breath and dropped the rag she was using into the sink and ran water over it.

He blinked at her blankly. Not intentionally? What was that supposed to mean?

"He figured he could... persuade me into obedience with a knife at my throat. I took advantage of his false security and ended up leaning into the blade when I fought back. The bastard had kept the stupid thing pretty sharp, it broke the skin so smoothly I hadn't noticed at first. Stings like a bugger now though." She tone was strangely monotonous.

"Didn't notice-" Cheshire shook himself to avoid being swept away in the images she formed with her disinterested words. "Weren't you scared?" The words tumbled from him before he realized it. It was a stupid question and he knew it. He'd smelled her fear from the event, but his irrational side was at the forefront of his mind. He understood the feeling of being cornered all too well, but he couldn't fathom her plaintive tone.

She stopped and turned her emerald eyes on him. "Of course I was. I just weighed my options and decided it was worth the risk in contrast to what they likely had planned for me." She looked away and returned to her work. "Isn't it scarier being at another's mercy? It isn't uncommon for victims on the street to end up in the clinic and their intentions were clear enough." Her voice gradually quieted to a whisper.

Cheshire understood that they were no doubt going to hurt her, but he wouldn't be able to guess at the details that might be worse than getting yourself cut up. Thinking about that he glanced down to his long claws that he kept exceptionally sharp. He'd had plenty of chances to turn his most basic weapon on this human and there was no doubt her flesh would part cleanly beneath them. As an afterthought he supposed she could have done much the same to him while he had been vulnerable under her care, but had chosen to treat his wounds instead.

"Are you leaving now then?" Sienna asked. He looked up to see her leaning against the door frame, facing him with her arms crossed. He nodded in response. Her throat now had gauze taped over the wound.

"Alright. I picked something up for you as a parting gift if you don't mind receiving such things from a human." She offered but didn't move. He gave her a puzzled look. A gift? Why? It's not like he'd done anything in particular for her and their trip to the marketplace was supposed to be compensation for her 'generosity' as she had put it. Did it really count as generosity if you expected something in return for it? He realized she was waiting for a response.

"Cheshire doesn't need anything from you." Despite his words he was curious. He hadn't paid much attention while she was shopping, the surrounding food stands that offered freshly cooked food had appealed to him a great deal more.

She gave a short laugh. "Well, the point is that you'll use it but I wouldn't say it's something you need. Anyway, it's rude to refuse a gift from a girl you know." She smiled at him.

He wasn't sure what made this so amusing but he gave a curt nod back to her. "Fine." He flicked his tail and crossed his arms to insinuate some reluctance but in actuality his curiosity won out.

She passed him and went back to the kitchen. She went into one of the bags and started shifting the contents around. Perhaps her 'gift' for him was in the bag that was taken? Either that or she'd just said it for amusements sake.

"How is it that out of the two of us, you're the lucky one today?" She grumbled a little bitterly. She pulled something out and held it out to him in her palm. The item was a dark red velvet ribbon with a small brass bell at the center. His eyes widened at the item and one hand unconsciously flew to his throat wear his old bell had been previously. A mix of shock, bitterness and loss swept through him.

"I remember you crying out before about a bell. Now I don't know what the other one was to you, but if anything this could be a place holder? I saw it while I was shopping and I thought it might suit you. Take it as an extra little thing of appreciation. It was.. Interesting while you were here if not a little fun even if that wasn't the reason you were here in the first place. Maybe it'll be a little reminder to visit again sometime, or not. Make of it what you will." Sienna closed her fingers around it and flipped her hand as if to hand it to him.

Cheshire hesitated. There was no way this could ever replace his lost bell. It had been far too precious due to the memories locked within it. He wasn't sure how to feel about this 'gift'. When she appeared to be about to drop her hand he held out his palm up to take the item. A smile spread across her face as he accepted it. Looking at it closely it was nothing like the one he had lost. The tone of the colors were darker than it had been. The bell itself was also smaller with intricate designs fanning out from the opening at the center and a darker brass color instead of a sparkling gold. He closed his fingers around the fabric and turned his hand to let the bell dangle. It made a duller tinkling sound too. He closed his free hand around the cloth of his collar where the old item used to be.

"Do you like it?" Sienna interrupted his scrutinizing of the item. He met her gaze and quickly averted it to the floor.

"Ah- Y-Yeah..." He replied haltingly. What was it with this strange person? Whatever her intentions were, he wouldn't be wearing it around his neck even though the ribbon appeared long enough. His failure was still too fresh for that to happen. Xerxes Break... He would hunt down the Mad Hatter as soon as he paid the Intention a visit. He hadn't thought up a plan on how to get his treasure back from him yet, but it'd be his newest priority.

The thought of facing that man again made fear prickle along his skin. His chain, Mad Hatter, was an abomination that should never have been created in the first place. It's abilities centered around destroying it's own kind and it's contractor, a ruthless man that seems to be pursuing the Intention with a vengeance. No matter his reasoning, he was an ungrateful fool.

"Good... Take care, Cheshire."

Cheshire's skin was beginning to crawl with his anxiety, fear and something he didn't quite recognize added another layer to his unease. With a silent trembling breath he tried to fight back the dark things that threatened to consume him. Without casting the woman another glance he teleported himself out of her home and straight into the Abyss to return to the individual that has always been most important to him. For her sake he would be able to overcome his insecurities. His world with resume once again with her in the center.

**Author's Note:**

Firstly, sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter! Summer has been unexpectedly busy, but I want to assure everyone that I'm definitely carrying on with the series. Thank you for your lovely comments!

I'm taking Senna Bluefire's advice and have started reading the manga after all. Thank you for the suggestion! It gives me a little more to work with for the characters from the series that are going to start making their appearances very soon in this story.

I hope all of you are having a great summer! Thanks for reading~!

*Constructive criticism is very welcome here and I would really appreciate it.  
Please comment and let me know what you think.

_Pandora Hearts © Jun Mochizuki  
Writing & Original Characters © Fukisako_


	7. Spotlight

Sienna flopped down on the couch and stretched out her aching limbs. She winced as they protested from the strain. She was sore from being stuck behind a desk for most of the day. The secretary hadn't shown up for some reason unbeknownst to her and to her chagrin, the role fell to her for the time being. Paperwork, filing, answering the phone; necessary tasks, but unbearably monotonous.

With a sigh she reached over to the coffee table and picked up the novel she had taken up reading recently with one hand while she pushed her long bangs back. With the book in hand she relaxed into the cushions with her head propped up on the armrest and her feet by the parallel one. Closing her eyes she cleared her mind of thoughts regarding work; only to have thoughts of her last guest called Cheshire. It had been weeks since he had left and in his wake mounting questions spun in Sienna's mind like a relentless storm. She'd been tempted on a few occasions to actually go to Pandora headquarters to see what she could find out about the goings-on as of late. Unfortunately there existed a few problems with such a simple approach. Not only had she purposely avoided the place and it's members for years, but her brother would undoubtedly find it suspicious were he to catch her wandering around there.

As she floundered about hopelessly in her mind the sensation of something watching her in close proximity made her open her eyes. A form loomed above her, a familiar sharp red eye stared down at her. Startled, she bolted upright with a curse.

The individual gracefully avoided the likely collision and Sienna twisted around to glare daggers at her uninvited guest, but his gaze made her more surprised than annoyed. Short platinum blond hair framed the man's face, one side longer than the other to hide his left eye. His mouth was giving her a sly grin as he held up his palms as he tsked at her. "Nia seems troubled~"

Sienna didn't respond as she stared at him. She hardly heard him because she would swear his gaze was similar to that of Cheshire's. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind as the rest of the figure registered. She had known this man at one time, though not well. "What are you doing here, Break?"

"I have to say I'm disappointed, you're manners certainly lack improvement. What kind of greeting is that?" He shook his head, but his grin didn't falter.

"The kind for uninvited guests." She quipped. Sienna planted her feet on the floor and straightened her posture. "You need to reflect on your manners before criticizing mine. So answer my question and I'll decide if I should welcome you or not."

"What if I said I came just to visit? You haven't been to Pandora in so long, one has to wonder what you've been up to." Break spoke as he moved away from the end of the couch and dropped himself into the chair across from it.

"I sincerely doubt that's the case. Lying will just get you kicked out." She warned. She hoped she sounded convincing considering she was sure the act wouldn't be easy. The guy seemed similar to that of water. He'd slip through your fingers one way or another. She could recall seeing the man around Pandora when she was younger. He would come and go as he pleased by means of which she had made a game of figuring out. He was a pretty sly one and being as young as she had been at the time had settled with the concept that he was some kind of ninja. Later she discovered that it had something to do with a chain belonging to Sharon Rainsworth, daughter of the house he served.

"How cruel~. At least it's true in part." He shrugged and clapped his hands together which made a muffled sound due to the long sleeves of his jacket covering them. "Tea would be lovely for a fine chat don't you think?"

Sienna stared blankly at the man as she considered denying his request. Waiting for her reply he put a hand in his jacket and pulled out a couple lollipops. Without warning he tossed one at her and she caught it on reflex. She opened her hand and looked at the candy curiously. It was orange flavoured, her favourite. She smiled at it and stood up.

"Alright I'll make us some tea. One moment." She went to the kitchen and before warming up the water she unwrapped her candy. She popped it into her mouth happily and set to work. She doubted he actually remembered that it was her favourite kind, but it reminded her of how often she'd received candy from him in the past. Break always seemed to have sweets of some sort with him and he would share them with her sometimes, though that also often included him tossing them at her but as a kid it had been fun.

She returned to the living room with a tray carrying the tea. Break had been humming something to himself when she'd returned, but stopped when she entered. It was an unfamiliar tune and judging by his character, it probably didn't originate from anything in particular. "Black chai it is. Now please tell me what brought you here?" Sienna handed him a cup of tea before sitting back on the couch. She'd at least be a little polite now that she wasn't so annoyed with him. She never had a reason to dislike the man, but his sudden appearance made her suspicious of his reasons. At best they'd seen each other on passing since she'd stopped going to Pandora's headquarters but that was as far as their interactions had gone.

"I heard something interesting the other day. That our little Nia landed herself a Chain recently and I wanted to find out for myself. It won't be long before Pandora decides to call on you to find out the details of your contract." A loud crack filled the room after he spoke. He must have bitten his lollipop, but it made Sienna jump at the sudden noise.

She suppressed a cringe at his words. At least her brother hadn't told them which Chain she had supposedly made a contract with, but Break was probably right. She'd been naive to hope that they would just leave her alone. "It's not some Joker if that's what they're worried about. I'm not stupid enough to fall for the lies that spew from those things."

"True as that may be, they'll still want to know. You aren't part of Pandora and the fact that you had been obstinate in your decision to refuse any contract, even though your father and now your brother have done so, is cause for concern. I'm deeply curious what it took to sway someone as stubborn as you."

Sienna was feeling the need to fidget the more the man spoke. What could she say really? Even if she gave some random name, they'd want to know more and see it. Or at least she figured they would. Break appeared perfectly at ease as he sipped at his tea, but his sharp red gaze never left her. She tried to recall what her brother had said about Cheshire when he'd seen him – after he tried to shoot him. Cheshire was presumed to be dead supposedly due to a member of Pandora.

"I have my reasons and I don't appreciate people digging into my business. I believe it is in my best interest to keep the details to myself for now and until they have good reason to suspect me of something they have no right to bother me about it for long."

Knock knock.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Reluctantly, Sienna got up to answer the door. She wasn't used to people randomly showing up at her home and this would be the second time in one day.

With a deep breath she opened the door. Waiting on the other side stood a man only slightly taller than her with shoulder length blond hair. The sides were pulled back into a high pony tail with the rest left to hang around his shoulders, his bangs parted to one side just short enough to keep his vivid blue eyes unobstructed. His posture was casual with his hands in the pockets of his dark blue jacket.

Sienna blinked a few times, she'd surely never seen this individual before. After a moment of faltering she mentally shook it off. "Hello." She greeted him with a slight curtsy, her voice betrayed her bewilderment.

"Good evening, are you lady Lancaster?" He rose an arm across his chest and gave a slight bow with his greeting.

"I am-" "Jayden! Impeccable timing as ever. We're having tea~" Break's voice carried over her shoulder in a sing-song tone. In an instant the man before her went rigid and his eyes widened.

"Break?! What are you doing here?" The man demanded.

"Jeez, both of you are so rude. You need to work on your manners too." Break came up behind Sienna with a hand on each of her shoulders. He leaned some of his weight on her so he could peek over her shoulder.

"Learn to use a door once in a while and you'd get a polite reaction. Otherwise stop complaining." Sienna pushed Break's face away from her until he let go.

He cast her a mock hurt look. "Sienna is always so cold. Uncute." He jibed at her, hiding his mouth behind a sleeved hand.

She narrowed her eyes at him before looking back to Jayden. "Friend of yours?" She asked him.

"No." His reply was immediate. She wasn't surprised by the automatic decline with that question. Break was known for being a handful so few could tolerate his... unique antics.

"Would you like to come in?" She offered. The man's icey blue gaze flipped between her and Break for a moment before he nodded awkwardly. With that she led him inside and they returned to the living room.

"I have to say I'm surprised Pandora sent a tracker. He doesn't make for good company really." Break shrugged and seemed to disregard the other man's presence.

Sienna was instantly weary of her new visitor at Break's words. Now she had two people from Pandora in her home, one pursuing his own agenda of who knows what and the other pursuing one for the organization, or at least that would be the presumption. Nonetheless she went into the kitchen for a cup and poured the man some tea before sitting down on the opposite end of the couch to where he sat.

She watched the man closely as he glared silently at Break.

"So, Jayden? What brings you to my home?" She asked in a casual tone. She wondered to herself how fast she could possibly get them both to leave.

"I was sent here on order by Pandora. The news of your making a contract with an unknown chain has gotten some attention. I'm sure you've heard this from Break already. I was sent to investigate." He replied monotonously.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'll tell you the same thing I told Break. I'm afraid it's not anyone's business but mine and I have every intention of keeping it that way. I haven't done anything to warrant this investigation and to put it simply, it is not appreciated and I'd prefer to be left alone." Sienna wished that would be enough to make him leave, but Break's words had ensured her doubt.

"Ooh flat out rejection stings doesn't it?" Break laughed. Sienna picked up her cup and finished off her tea while she ignored him. Once finished she went back to the treat he'd given her.

"I understand. I don't like being the center of attention either." He nodded, purposefully ignoring Break as well.

"At least that's two of us. Center stage is all yours, Break." She smiled at him in amusement. She hoped to keep the conversation light so in a way she was happy that Break was present. It was at odds with her earlier discomfort when he'd shown up not long ago.

"Tsk, you say that like either of you had a chance of taking it from me." Break stood as if to accentuate his claim with his arms spread out, then circling into a bow.

"Not in the least. I think your brand of entertainment is too unique for that to be a possibility." Smiled at him innocently. She liked staying off topic this way and wished to stay there.

"What you lack in cuteness you make up for in your wit at times, Nia. I have some business to attend to so I'm going to leave now. Later~" He spun away from them and disappeared into the kitchen. Sienna stood and followed after him. She saw him disappear into her cupboard as though it were perfectly natural to do so. Annoyed she checked to be sure he was gone, then returned to the living room to see Jayden had relaxed considerably.

"He's gone. He really needs to learn to use doors." She sighed. He would disappear right when she was starting to appreciate his presence. It felt like he did it on purpose somehow and it only added to her annoyance. She could never begin fathom that man's mind.

"Good, he's so strange. I never know how to deal with him and I'd just rather not if I can help it." Jayden sighed in an exasperated tone as he leaned against the back of the couch casually with his face turned upward.

"It's just his way," Sienna brought the back of her hand to her mouth to subdue her chuckle. In reality his antics wasn't her issue with him, it was always what you didn't see that concerned her. More so than others. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Jayden lifted his head to look at her. His vivid blue eyes scanned over her for a moment in silence. Sienna seated herself in the chair across from him and relaxed enough to lean into the back rest. He didn't seem concerned about composure so she would act similarly. She despised puttin on a formal facade, it was the easiest way to maintain a certain form of distance from the person she used it on in a professional way; however the act in itself was tiresome.

"To be blunt, no. I already gave my reason for being here and you denied me. So now I get to return to Pandora to be scolded for failing their assignment. Conversational persuasion isn't one of my expertise so it's to be expected." He rubbed the back of his head as he spoke then gave a bitter laugh at the end.

Something flashed across his expression, but disappeared before Sienna could decipher it. The man had a laid back air about him although he was also slightly unnerving. She blamed the sensation on being cornered by him and Break and dismissed it.

"I'll be going now then. See you again another day, whenever that might be." He stood as he spoke. "I'll show myself out." He gave a curt nod to her before doing just that.

She listened for the door to tell her that he'd left. The sound of it closing behind him snapped the remaining wire of tension in her body and she felt as though she'd melt into the chair. She felt exhausted from a far too long of a day. Even so she forced herself to her feet to lock the door and retired to her room. She collapsed on her bed without bothering to change her clothes first and quickly fell asleep.

Sometime later a strange light sound woke Sienna from her fitful slumber. Blinking open her eyes drowsily she could make out a shape hovering above her from the side her bed. At first her mind didn't register what she saw and she closed her eyes again wishing for sleep to return. Adrenaline chased away her sleepiness when she realized how wrong it was that someone was in her room. Without another thought she struck out at it with her leg, but the form nimbly dodged the attack.

Her mind was still scattered so she couldn't remember where her whip was located. Without her weapon of choice at hand she sprung herself up onto her knees before aggressively launching herself at the stranger. The person yelped unintelligibly as she tackled them to the floor. Something hit the wall with a loud crack and another sound she could't identify filled the silence of the room.

The hard chest that took the brunt of her attack told her the person was male, but was too thin to be her sibling. Something sharp bit into the skin of her biceps before she felt herself being shoved backward. She brought her knee up as forcefully as she could before her back hit the ground and the air left her lungs in a rush. It connected with the man's stomach and her knee throbbed from the impact.

Suddenly she felt a weight settle over her waist and her wrists were pinned above her head. Her assailant had moved too quickly for her to avoid such a position and desperation shot through her veins. The man was gasping for air above her and he stilled. She did the same in the hopes that conceding here would create an opening for her to turn the fight around.

**Author's Note:**

I've caught up on the manga now and I'm very happy that I did so. I truly adore Pandora Hearts and I'm already converting more people into watching and reading it so all is good. Anywho, hope you enjoyed the read~

*Constructive criticism is very welcome here and I would really appreciate it.  
Please comment and let me know what you think.

_Pandora Hearts © Jun Mochizuki  
Writing & Original Characters © Fukisako_


	8. Inconspicuous

Gasping to force air into his lungs, Cheshire stared down at the woman he'd pinned beneath him. She had stopped struggling and the sound of her heaving breath filled his ears. Pain emanated from the back of his head where it had struck the wall when she'd flung herself at him and the force of her knee made breathing more difficult. He hadn't been very surprised by her first swing at him when she awoke, but her lunge had startled him more than anything.

He could see her face perfectly in the darkness due to his night vision, but there was no recognition in her eyes which glared fiercely up at him. The expression was intimidating even in this position. Her lack of a weapon was comforting. His breathing evened out and the pain she'd inflicted had already started to heal and drift away. "Sienna is too violent." He grumbled in annoyance. She had been so determined that her home was somewhere safe to be, yet she was the real danger within it. Perhaps returning was a bad idea after all.

"Who are you?!" She demanded sharply. Her brows knit together, displaying a notion of confusion. A growl reverberated from deep in his chest. Not only was her treatment of him unreasonably vicious, her tone was irritating. A feeling of confidence coursed through his veins as he leaned his face closer to hers in the hopes that she might be able to recognize him with her weaker eyes.

"Cheshire." He hissed his name at her. His tail flicked furiously behind him and his ears flattened to his head. The sound of the bell on his tail filled the room like it had when she'd tackled him. Her expression shifted to one of shock as comprehension dawned.

"Ch-Cheshire?" She echoed in disbelief. He couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. He didn't like physical confrontation and would avoid it where he was able, but there was something exciting about overpowering such a fierce individual even if she was just human. A shift in her expression made him lean back from her, his instincts flared. It was a dangerous feeling that emanated from her.

"Get. Off. Now." She spoke haltingly as she glared up at him. Suddenly she slipped her hand free from his grasp and he was shoved off balance. He landed roughly on his side and she distanced herself until her back was against the edge of her bed. "Don't sneak up on me like that again."

Cheshire moved to sit on his legs, leaning forward on his paws in front of his knees. "You said Cheshire could return didn't you? Cheshire was just letting you know he was here..." He stared at the floor. His skin still prickled with excitement from their tussle and it was making him restless. He resented the fact that she was so quick to attack him, but from the moment her brother showed up it was obvious she had a violent nature. Nothing like his sweet Alyss.

"Yes, but this is a bit much. Did you break anything to get in?"

Flicking his tail impatiently he shook his head. As if she needed any more reason to lash out at him.

He heard a sigh of relief come from her. He flicked his red eyed gaze to her only to be surprised at what he saw. She was holding herself as she sagged a bit to one side with her head resting on the end of the bed. Seeing her arms gave him a start, she was bleeding and he hadn't realized. Suddenly he was very conscious of the blood scent in the room, the very same as that which filled the house when her throat had been cut. In the heat of the moment it hadn't registered even though he should have recognized that it belonged to her. In such a large city there's no point in paying any mind to the scent of blood due to the number of people that lived so close together.

"Ah-Ah! Cheshire didn't mean to!" He recoiled at the sight of her blood on his claws. They were always exceptionally sharp so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he'd accidentally hurt her in their scuffle. He hadn't really thought much of it aside from the need to stop her attacks. Maybe returning was a very bad idea, but he didn't know what other choice he had or he would have taken a different path altogether. The thought of depending on a human for anything was an uneasy thought, but she seemed trustworthy enough for the time being.

"Be careful next time. Hopefully it doesn't scar." Sienna clicked her tongue. Blood ran down her arms in little rivulets that started to drip from her elbows. She got to her feet and left the room. He watched her go. When she disappeared he stared back down at his bloodied claws. It wasn't unusual for them to be in this state and in actuality there wasn't a lot of it, just enough to make it clear that he'd hurt her more than he had intended. Out of habit he brought one to his mouth and started to rasp his tongue over them to clear away the blood. He felt bad for hurting her but part of him was still annoyed she had attacked him in the first place. If she hadn't he wouldn't have cut her at all.

Once satisfied with the cleanliness of his claws he stood and went to find Sienna. She was sitting on the couch in the living room with one upper arm wrapped in gauze and in the process of wrapping the other. He approached warily while paying close attention to the already wrapped arm. Blood seeped through the white binding in horizontal streaks.

"It's not bad. Once my heart rate goes down it should stop bleeding." She spoke while concentrating on her other arm as she finished binding it. He cursed the fact that he screwed up so badly already. He hoped that stubborn oddity aspect of her personality would ensure she wouldn't try chasing him away before he could explain why he sought her out. Hell, when she learns of his intentions she might still try chasing him away. He moved away from her and sat with his legs up on the chair, paws between his feet. This was all very annoying for more than one reason. He hated complicated things.

He heard her get up and toss something away before returning to the couch. He didn't look up, just kept his ears flattened to his head and stared at the floor. "You're pouting again." Her voice broke the brief silence. He growled in response. She was quickly wearing on his nerves with that nonsense. "Ugh, do you have any idea what time it is? Coming at a sane hour is just common courtesy." She grumbled. She stood again. "I'm going back to bed, we'll talk in the morning. The couch is all yours 'til then." Sienna gestured with her hand to the place in question before disappearing back to her room.

Another irritated growl rumbled from deep within his chest. He didn't want to wait until morning, he wanted to get the conversation over with so he could figure out what path was available to him. Maybe his woman would be too difficult to deal with for what he needed after all. He wondered how likely she would be to go along with his request. It's not like he knew her well enough to venture a clear guess.

Cheshire laid down in the chair curling into himself with his head on the arm rest. He dreaded what was to come. He missed the clarity he'd once had about his role for Alyss, but the results of last time had left him shaken and even more insecure. A feeling of foreboding was consuming his mind as he ran through everything again. With her connections to Pandora, Sienna would be his shot in gaining the knowledge he sought. He learned quickly from the last confrontation that he'd never try taking the Mad Hatter head on again. It was hard to comprehend why Alyss had allowed the man to live, little lone for such an absurdity of a chain to exist in the first place. As his mind spun anxiously he eventually fell into a restless sleep.

_Cheshire stood in an vividly familiar space. A red and black checkered pattern lay below his feet and he was boxed in by four white walls with shelves filled with various dolls. A small white table with matching chairs placed at it's center._

_"Cheshire is here! Cheshire has returned!" Chattering from the dolls resounded in the room, steadily increasing in volume until it became senseless background noise._

_Normally they didn't bother him too much even though their presence could be overbearing at times, but the feeling of uneasiness was making his hair stand on end. The need to hiss and try to silence them started to bubble up within him as they carried on. Hundreds of voices speaking at the same time made all their words mash together until not a word could be understood._

_Suddenly his wish was granted and they all became eerily silent as though their voices had been cut out of the world around him though they were still physically present. A familiar young girl appeared near the table set. Long platinum blond hair flowed down her back and over her shoulders. She wore a short solid white dress laced together down the front with black string, blue roses around her neck are all the gave a splash of color to her appearance aside from her eyes the color of amethysts._

_Alyss. Cheshire instinctively reached out to her as he spoke her name, but it was as though all sound had been sucked out of the space. A cold smile spread across her lips. He dropped his hand slowly, unsure what to make of the expression. He'd seen her angry and cold towards others on several occasions, but never had it been directed at him. It sent a chill down his back._

_Suddenly the floor beneath his feet began to tremble until it gave out. Panicking, Cheshire reached for an edge to cling to but the flooring crumbled under his touch. He plummeted into blackness._

He awoke with a loud gasp. He felt as though his heart was in his throat with blood pounding through his ears out of shock. His hair stood on end and he jumped away from the chair in haste. He ran his palms over his arms briskly to calm himself. Anxiously he went to the large window and pulled open the curtain. Bright sunlight stung his eye as it spilled over him in a warm wave.

The outside world was a small comfort, but it was better than nothing. He closed his eye and basked in the warmth. He wanted to forget the expression on Alyss' face more than anything. It was greatly unsettling for him.

"Cheshire? Are you alright?" The woman's familiar voice reached his ears. He hesitated. He was still incredibly anxious and felt on the verge of running away from this place if it weren't for the window. The dimension he had spent decades in wasn't particularly dark, but nothing really compared to real sunlight. Instead of words, he made a noise from low in his throat in response.

He heard her sigh from across the room. Cheshire kept his eye closed and remained facing the window, but he was very concious of every sound that came from the other individual. Her light footsteps neared and he tensed.

"Cheshire. I have another favour to ask. Face me for a minute and don't go anywhere?" Her voice was filled with uncertainty but her tone was gentle. He didn't respond or do as she asked. What kind of favour was that? Besides, he had no reason to be granting her any favours. Then again she had saved him once already and he'd need her help again soon. After much internal debate, Cheshire realized she had been waiting patiently for some reason. He didn't know what he expected to happen, but she didn't strike him as a particularly patient person.

Reluctantly, he finally did as she asked and turned to face her. Trying to hide how unsettled he was he stared outside the window. His eyes had adjusted enough that it was no longer painful. A jolt of surprise shot through him as something warm touched his left cheek and tried to turn his head. He went with it and found Sienna's emerald green gaze staring up at him. He wasn't sure what to make of her expression and was soon distracted by the sensation of something running through is hair between his ears. He flinched away and there was a short pause before it started up again. Sienna was balancing on the balls of her feet to run her hand through his hair. It was a little awkward even though he wasn't much taller than her because her wrist kept catching his ear.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"You look pale and you were making a lot of noise in your sleep so I'm guessing a nightmare of some sort is to blame. At least, were you human that'd be my first guess. You also seem to be feline and in my experience the best way to comfort a cat is to pet him." She replied with a shrug.

He narrowed his gaze at her for a moment, unsure what to make of the woman once again. She sought to comfort him? His mind was too rattled to attempt making sense of anything she did at the moment so he decided to discard his reservations and sat down on the floor in front of the window. Sienna followed him down and her caress became firmer with more confidence and she continued to pet his hair with rhythmically. He found the movements very comforting. Every once in a while she'd run her hand over his ears and he revelled in the pleasant sensations. His anxiety eased gradually until he started purring without intending to.

"Better?" Sienna asked. He didn't know how long they'd been sitting on the floor, but he was far from caring.

"Yeah." He gave a small nod and gave her a sideways glance. A contented smile lit her features.

"Happy to hear- it." She paused mid sentence to yawn. She blinked a few times drowsily before standing up. "I need breakfast and tea." Sienna walked off and shortly after the sound of dishes clinking together echoed from the kitchen.

Cheshire stared at the floor by his legs, still in a relaxed state. The idea of getting up didn't feel tempting at all so he chose to remain where he was. His mind was comfortably blank, only the sounds from the kitchen somewhat registering.

Some time passed and Sienna had returned to the living room. She set a bowl of milk down between his paws with care. Then she moved around the coffee table and sat back in the couch sipping at her tea with some kind of biscuit thing to eat.

Looking at the milk he was reminded of the fact that she'd done the same thing shortly after he'd woken up in her home after his latest near miss with death. He wasn't sure how he felt about the circumstances yet. Nothing felt real to him. Not this place with it's bizarre resident, nor the time he had spent when he'd returned to the Abyss. It was as though he had been given a third chance at life, but nothing seemed quite the same since he'd nearly lost it the last time. Then again so was the case when he'd died a century ago. If he had the strength and the body he had now; in his first life, he would have been able to save both Alice's the suffering they were enduring now.

"You're mumbling, Cheshire. What's wrong?" Sienna set her cup down on the table and took a bite of her biscuit. He could feel her gaze watching him carefully.

With a brisk shake of his head he dismissed the train of thought he was taking. It wouldn't solve anything and it'd only prove to make him feel worse. He picked up the bowl of milk to find it warm to the touch. Pleased by this he started to drink from it hungrily. Once finished he forced himself to his feet and placed the bowl on the table. He glanced over to the woman thoughtfully.

He took a steadying breath. He truly feared the outcome of what he was about to ask of the woman. It was no fear of her, but that of the one he sought. "Cheshire needs to get inside Pandora." He had to force the words out, but his voice still wavered. His ears flattened to his head anxiously.

"I figured as much. I won't help you put my brother or his comrade's in danger, so unless you want to explain that one further you're looking in the wrong place." Her response was spoken resolutely.

Cheshire stared at her. She'd rejected it so quickly he hadn't expected it. He flicked his tail in annoyance. "That isn't Cheshire's intention yet." He admitted reluctantly.

"Yet?" She repeated.

He started pacing around the small room uncomfortably. "Yes. Cheshire will do whatever he needs to to protect Alyss. First Cheshire has to find out how to do that." His words hung in the room for several heartbeats. Great, so she'd deny him this too. What a waste of time to think a human would help. If he threatened her brother he might have had a better chance of convincing her to help him.

"I'll have you know, there's no way you're getting in looking like that. The hooded cape look might help a bit in town, but guaranteed it won't work there." She responded thoughtfully.

"What?" Cheshire stopped mid pace.

"If information is all you need, I'll help. Within reason of course. Plus, I don't know what you're capable of but it wouldn't take much to alert all of Pandora to your presence if you start something unseemly." She reasoned simply as though it were only natural.

Cheshire's hair prickled at the thought. True, but he could teleport away if he needed to. His dimension had been totally destroyed by Alice and her companions when he had tried to dispose of them the first time so he couldn't possibly just drag a victim there at the moment. Though another dimension might work just as well if it came down to it, or even the Abyss itself. Sienna didn't know anything about him, so he had a dangerous advantage here.

"Fine." He agreed curtly. Instead of voicing any further answers, Cheshire shifted his form to that of a domestic cat. He jumped atop the small table and sat near the corner across from Sienna. He shot her a disinterested look before swiping his tongue over his chest fur. It was still a little on end due to his anxiousness so he wanted to at least try to correct it.

The woman stared at him with her jaw agape. Seeming to realize her own reaction she closed it and blinked a few times. "That's... an interesting trick my feline friend. Very inconspicuous."

**Author's Note:**

Latest instalment is done! And quite long so hopefully that compensates the wait a little. Better than too short right? Hope you enjoyed, dear readers!

*Constructive criticism is very welcome here and I would really appreciate it.  
Please comment and let me know what you think.

_Pandora Hearts © Jun Mochizuki  
Writing & Original Characters © Fukisako_


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